Freshman 15 a myth, experts say

Kathryn Roethel

Updated 7:14 pm, Friday, August 22, 2014

Students about to head off to college for the first time have one less thing to worry about: The "freshman 15" is a myth.

For years, college-bound youths have been warned that they'll almost certainly gain at least 15 pounds during their first year. But several studies show that, while most college kids do gain a little weight in their first year, it's far less than 15 pounds, and the purported causes -- alcohol consumption and high-calorie dormitory or fast foods -- may not be to blame.

Typical freshmen will probably see their weight rise less than five pounds in the first academic year, according to 2008 research in the Health Information and Libraries Journal. A 2011 Ohio State University report found the average weight gain was 2.4 pounds for freshman women and 3.4 pounds for men, but a quarter of the students actually lost weight in their first year of college.

The Ohio State research also revealed that college freshmen gained only half a pound more, on average, than peers of the same age who didn't go to college.

"Most students don't gain large amounts of weight," study co-author Jay Zagorsky said in a statement. "And it is not college that leads to weight gain -- it is becoming a young adult."

But students beware -- the research did reveal a few campus pitfalls. Students who drink heavily in college gain about a pound more each year than those who drink less. And junk food consumption goes up around final exams. A 2012 study from Cornell University found an 8 percent rise in student purchases of unhealthy snacks, like potato chips, chicken fingers, candy and ice cream, during the last two weeks of the semester, and a 4 percent decline in healthier snacks like yogurt, fruit and salad.